Cheshire Medical Center adds new radiation unit to expand cancer care in Keene

Keene’s Cheshire Medical Center has brought a second linear accelerator into service.

Keene’s Cheshire Medical Center has brought a second linear accelerator into service, a move hospital leaders say will shorten waits and ease pressure on one of the region’s busiest cancer treatment programs. The new machine began seeing patients in August at the main campus at 580 Court St., with access through the west entrance.

The addition is part of a larger $42.7 million plan to update the Court Street campus, and the room housing the accelerator is the first completed phase of that effort. The hospital marked the milestone with a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday.

Cheshire Medical, which is affiliated with Dartmouth Health, operates the only linear accelerator site in Cheshire County. According to Dartmouth Cancer Center Director Dr. Roy Herbst, the center is also one of 57 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country.

Hospital officials say the extra unit is expected to speed up treatment schedules and reduce travel burdens for patients who previously had fewer local options. Herbst said the goal is to make appointments faster and easier for people already dealing with the strain of cancer care.

Linear accelerators are used to deliver radiation therapy and are roughly the size of an MRI machine, with patients lying on a table during treatment. Dr. Janelle Park, medical director of oncology services, said these machines are typically designed for 20 to 25 patients a day, but Cheshire Medical has often treated close to 40 daily because it serves the entire county. At one point, the center reached 50 patients in a single day.

Park said the new device will help reduce wear on the older machine while also giving clinicians more advanced capabilities, including improved imaging and technology that can coordinate radiation timing with a patient’s breathing.

Dr. Joseph Perras, Cheshire Medical Center’s president and CEO, said the hospital’s original accelerator had become outdated and was among the most heavily used in New Hampshire. He said having two machines operating at once will allow the center to broaden radiation services across the region.

Park also pointed to the role of small donors who helped support the project. She said the long effort had now reached a meaningful turning point and reflected strong community support.